Campton, Bedfordshire

Campton
Campton church
Campton
Location within Bedfordshire
OS grid referenceTL0523
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSHEFFORD
Postcode districtSG17
Dialling code01462
PoliceBedfordshire
FireBedfordshire
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

Campton is a village in the civil parish of Campton and Chicksands, in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is about 9 miles (14 km) south of Bedford, and is about 9 miles (14 km) north-west from Letchworth and sits on a tributary of the River Ivel.[1] It is just to the west of Shefford. The 13th century Church of All Saints is in the centre of the village.[2]

History

Campton is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The entry reads: Chambeltone: Ralph de Lanquetot from Walter Giffard; Fulbert from Willian d'Eu; Thurstan.[3] The name Campton is derived from a British stream name similar to the name Camel in Cornwall.[4]

Campton was an ancient parish in the Clifton Hundred of Bedfordshire. The parish historically included Shefford, which had its own chapel of ease from at least the 15th century.[5][6] Parish functions under the poor laws from the 17th century onwards were administered separately for the chapelry of Shefford and the rest of Campton parish. As such, Shefford and Campton became separate civil parishes in 1866 when the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws.[7][8] Shefford remained part of the ecclesiastical parish of Campton until 1903.[9]

In 1985 the civil parish of Campton was merged with the neighbouring parish of Chicksands to become a new parish called Campton and Chicksands.[10] At the 1981 census (the last before the abolition of the parish), Campton had a population of 1391.[11]

Governance

Campton is in the Hitchin parliamentary constituency and the elected member is Alistair Strathern of the Labour Party.

Education

It is in the catchment zone for Robert Bloomfield Academy.[12] It is also in the catchment zone for Samuel Whitbread Academy, which has an upper school and sixth form.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Campton & Chicksands - Home Page". www.camptonandchicksands.org.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  2. ^ Historic England. "PARISH CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS (1113722)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Campton Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  4. ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 84–85. ISBN 0-19-869103-3. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  5. ^ Historic England. "Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels (Grade II) (1321780)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  6. ^ Page, William (1908). A History of the County of Bedfordshire. London: Victoria County History. pp. 266–276. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  7. ^ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume I, Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. pp. xvi. ISBN 0901050679.
  8. ^ "Shefford Township / Civil Parish". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  9. ^ "No. 27608". The London Gazette. 23 October 1903. p. 6436.
  10. ^ "Biggleswade Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Bedfordshire population figures 1801 – 2011" (PDF). Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service Archives. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  12. ^ "Admission Arrangements September 2025" (PDF). Bedfordshire Schools Trust. p. 14/35. Retrieved 3 January 2025. - Map is on p. 34/35.
  13. ^ "Admission Arrangements September 2025" (PDF). Bedfordshire Schools Trust. p. 15/35. Retrieved 3 January 2025. - Map is on p. 35/35.

Media related to Campton, Bedfordshire at Wikimedia Commons